The Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) has successfully completed a school accessibility project across six states—Edo, Sokoto, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)—providing critical infrastructure aimed at promoting inclusive education for learners with disabilities.
The initiative involved the construction of wheelchair ramps, accessible toilet facilities, corridor handrails and other mobility-friendly infrastructure in selected public schools. The intervention was designed to eliminate physical barriers that hinder the participation of persons with disabilities in education, while creating safer and more inclusive learning environments.
In the Federal Capital Territory, JONAPWD commissioned an accessible toilet facility and corridor handrails at LEA Primary School, Karomajiji, in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC). Speaking during the commissioning, the Acting Headmaster of the school, Shaibu Ahmed, described the intervention as timely and impactful, noting that it would benefit more than 250 pupils. He expressed appreciation to JONAPWD and the Ford Foundation, stating that previous promises of similar support had failed to materialise.
The project also reached the tertiary education sector in Edo State, where JONAPWD’s National President, Abdullahi Usman, led the formal handover of newly constructed wheelchair ramps, accessible walkways and toilet facilities at the Dangote Hostel of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. Receiving the facility, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mrs. E. E. Omonzogie, pledged the university’s commitment to strengthening disability inclusion through the establishment of a Disability Desk Office and improved access to assistive devices for students and staff with disabilities.
Similar accessibility improvements were carried out in selected schools across Sokoto, Osun, Oyo and Plateau States, enabling learners with disabilities to navigate classrooms and school premises more safely and independently.
Addressing stakeholders at the FCT commissioning, JONAPWD National President Abdullahi Usman stressed that while Nigeria’s Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018 provides a robust legal framework for inclusion, its implementation remains inadequate. He urged ministries, departments and agencies at all levels of government to fully enforce the law and ensure that public institutions become accessible to persons with disabilities.
Usman also called on the Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council to replicate the Karomajiji model across all public schools within the council. He noted that the six-state intervention demonstrates that accessible infrastructure is achievable in ordinary public schools and should be replicated nationwide to guarantee equal educational opportunities for all.
School authorities in both the FCT and Edo State acknowledged additional infrastructural needs, including perimeter fencing, classroom rehabilitation, desks and more assistive devices such as wheelchairs and specialised learning equipment. JONAPWD described these needs as evidence that sustained investment is required to achieve full accessibility in Nigeria’s education sector.
The association reaffirmed that the six-state project represents an important milestone in advancing inclusive education and called on governments, development partners and other stakeholders to build on the initiative to ensure that every child, regardless of disability, has equal access to quality education in a barrier-free environment.
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